(Not Applicable)
(Not Applicable)
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention broadly relates to cellular telephone systems, and more particularly, to a system and method for real time analysis and display of call data generated by a cellular switch.
2. Description of the Related Art
Telephone communication has seen a phenomenal growth since its inception because of its extreme usefulness in today""s world. It is hard, and almost impossible, to conceive a world without telephones. Telephones have almost become an integral part of a civilized society. Modern telephones include generic desk-top telephone units, cordless telephones and more advanced cellular telephones (or xe2x80x9ccell phonesxe2x80x9d). In contrast to a cordless telephone unit, a cellular telephone allows portability in that a cell phone operator can use the cell phone thousands of miles from home and is supported by a sophisticated telecommunications system.
A cellular service provider""s network includes a number of interconnected cellular switches or mobile switching centers (MSCs) that facilitate cell phone portability in the network. The cellular network also typically includes a large number of cell sites, with each MSC generally serving more than one cell site. The cell phone operated by a mobile subscriber (MS) communicates with an appropriate base station over a radio link established between the base station and the cell phone. The base station, in turn, forwards signals received from the cell phone to the corresponding MSC for further processing and propagation. Similarly, the base station relays messages received from the MSC to the appropriate cell phone within the cell site served by the base station. Thus, the base station may be viewed as a conduit of messages exchanged between the MSC and a cell phone.
It is observed that the cellular service provider may add more cell sites (and base stations) or reconfigure existing cell site boundaries to cope with increased cellular traffic in the service provider""s cellular network. The increased cellular traffic may have resulted from the new cell phone operators or mobile subscribers signing up for the service provider""s cellular services and operating within the network, or from increased usage of the cellular services by existing subscribers. The addition of new cell sites or reconfiguration of existing cell sites to accommodate increased cellular traffic requires that the new (or reconfigured) cell sites effectively communicate with corresponding MSCs. In other words, the radio communication between a new (or existing) cell site and its anchor MSC may need to be monitored to evaluate whether the MSC recognizes the cell site. Also, any new MSCs added in the cellular network, or any MSCs already operational in the network, may need to be maintained and routinely checked for effective radio communication with a cell phone operative within the cellular network region served by the respective MSC.
A cellular switch (or MSC) may continuously generate a large amount of data during operation because of its communication with a large number of cellular phones operative within the MSC""s serving region. It may therefore be difficult for a technician maintaining or servicing the MSC to simultaneously monitor the large number of radio links over which the MSC is communicating (via respective base stations) with cell phones. Also, current tools available to diagnose or maintain the MSC with regard to any problems with one or more radio links connecting with the MSC do not allow more than one technician to test a radio link at a time. In other words, current switch testing and diagnosis tools do not allow for simultaneous testing of more than one radio link.
It is therefore desirable to provide a tool that allows simultaneous and real time testing of more than one radio link as part of a number of different maintenance and diagnosis functions performed by a technician in a cellular service provider""s network such as, for example, routine maintenance of a cellular switch (or MSC), installation and testing of a new switch, addition or reconfiguration of a cell site, etc.
In one embodiment, the present invention contemplates a method for analyzing call-specific data for each of a first plurality of cellular phone calls. The method comprises a first computer receiving a portion of the call-specific data for each of a second plurality of cellular phone calls, wherein the first plurality of cellular phone calls is part of the second plurality of cellular phone calls; and the first computer parsing the portion of the call-specific data for each of the second plurality of cellular phone calls based on one or more predetermined parameters contained in each said portion to identify the call-specific data, for said each of the first plurality of cellular phone calls. In one embodiment, the first computer uses the MIN (Mobile Identification Number) parameter to parse the call-specific data received thereby.
In another embodiment, the present invention contemplates a system to process in real time call-specific data generated within a cellular telephone network. The system comprises a first computer configured to receive a portion of the call-specific data for each of a first plurality of cellular phone calls handled by the cellular telephone network, wherein a second plurality of cellular phone calls is part of the first plurality of cellular phone calls, and wherein the first computer is configured to parse the portion of the call-specific data for each of the first plurality of cellular phone calls based on a predetermined parameter to identify the call-specific data for each of the second plurality of cellular phone calls; and a second computer in communication with the first computer, wherein the second computer is configured to receive the call-specific data for each of the second plurality of cellular phone calls from the first computer and to display the call-specific data received from the first computer.
The first computer runs a UNIX-based diagnosis software that allows flexibility and versatility in call monitoring and functionality testing of a cellular switch within a cellular telephone network. The diagnosis software scans and parses, in real time, the call data received from a cellular switch so as to enable a technician employed by the cellular service provider to monitor and diagnose the radio environment of a cell when a call is placed from that cell. Additional cellular switch-specific data such as, for example, radio channels assigned to a cell phone call, handoff signals communicated, power level for a radio link, etc., may also be monitored on a per-call basis. Thus, simultaneous and real time testing of more than one radio link can be performed by a technician in a cellular service provider""s network during, for example, routine maintenance of a cellular switch, installation and testing of a new switch, addition or reconfiguration of a cell site, etc. With the help of the diagnosis software, a technician or a group of technicians can monitor call data for a number of cellular phones simultaneously and in real time.